Shapiro says SNAP money should start flowing by midnight to some in Pennsylvania
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced at a hastily organized news conference Friday that Pennsylvanians owed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, money from the first week of November will receive payments by midnight.
The release of “around $100 million” in federal funds comes after a federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to release billions of reserve dollars to fund the food aid program during a federal shutdown. The administration, despite requesting an emergency stay, said it would abide by the ruling in a memo.
“If you’re a SNAP recipient and you were supposed to get your benefits on the first of November, DHS has sent through the processing for you to get it, and the vendors are literally right now, sending those dollars out onto people’s SNAP cards,” said Shapiro, referring to the state Department of Human Services.
The governor, visibly angry and at several points using profanity, said the payouts were made possible because the Pennsylvania secretary of human services, Val Arkoosh, submitted the names of the people owed SNAP funds to the state’s payment distributor at the start of the month. Those who expected to receive SNAP funds later in the month will not see a payout with Friday’s disbursement.
Nearly 9,000 Centre County residents rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families. Dozens of philanthropic efforts have sought to fill the food aid gap left by the federal and state governments in the wake of the SNAP freeze and the state budget impasse.
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 3:50 PM.
